Buffalo Bills News - August 1, 2001

Kris Farris Talks to bb.com [10:12 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
"I feel great. I've got to shake the rust off, the ankle feels good it's all I've been worrying about the last two years when I went last year to camp with the Steelers it wasn't feeling right yet. It's finally feeling good, now all I have to do is work on the football. I've been out of it for two years so any extra bit of help&#8230;I promised myself when I was out of it that I'd always work on my stuff and wouldn't let it ride. If I do something wrong at practice...

5th Down : Marv Levy - Always a Gentlemen [10:11 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
The first time I met Marv Levy was in the fall of 1986. I wasn't yet a writer; in fact, I wasn't even in junior high school. When Levy was hired by Ralph Wilson and Bill Polian in November of 1986, I was a 10 year-old fifth-grader and a brand-new Bills fan...

Bills Autograph Sessions [9:27 AM]TBD reports:
The Bills report that there will be six times when the entire team will sign after practice:

Browns, Bills will take it easy [9:15 AM]Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:
'The Friday sessions, which are free to the public, will have "no tackling whatsoever," said Browns coach Butch Davis. The teams essentially will engage in individual position drills and 7-on-7 sessions beginning at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The scrimmage on Saturday is full speed and will have live tackling (except quarterbacks). A series of full-speed kicking and punting drills will kick off the scrimmage at 10:55 a.m.'

Johnson at home in West Coast offense [9:04 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"Our offense is a lot smoother than it was last year during camp. I just see a lot more open guys than there were in the past."'

Viking Tackle Stringer Dies from Heat Stroke [8:52 AM]ESPN reports:
Former Ohio State Buckeye Corey Stringer collapsed at practice yesterday and was unresponsive upon arrival at the hospital. He had an extremely high core temperature of over 108 degrees. Stringer developed multi-organ system failure throughout the day and night. He never regained consciousness and despite all efforts his heart failed at 1:50 a.m.

Bills Ticket Trouble [7:41 AM]WROC-TV reports:
'Managers at the Wegmans corporate office decided to give the tickets away earlier than scheduled...But apparently not all Wegmans locations got the message. All the stores are tied into the same pool of about five thousand tickets, which disappeared in twenty minutes, before some locations even had a chance to give them away.'

Bills coach responds to player's camp comments [7:39 AM]WGRZ-TV reports:
'Cornerback Antoine Winfield, sidelined for Tuesday's practice by a hamstring pull, said he thinks the injuries are a result of the increased running the team is doing under Williams.'

Flutie Happy to Be the Chargers' Little Big Man [6:23 AM]New York Times reports:
'A current Bills player who likes both quarterbacks backed Flutie's version, saying the main source of friction between the two was mostly because of Johnson's insecurity as Flutie's status in Buffalo grew.'

Black just wants playing time [5:31 AM]D and C reports:
'In 1996, fresh out of Maplewood High School in Nashville, Tenn., Black red-shirted his freshman season at Tennessee State. He didn't play, he just practiced. That's essentially just how his rookie season in the NFL went.'

Hojnowski horns in on players' sleep [5:30 AM]D and C reports:
'Buffalo Bills equipment manager Dave Hojnowski has been on the job 24 years. After that long, you'd think training camp would become ho-hum for "Hojo." To the contrary, he's having a blast.'

5,000 tickets go in 20 minutes [5:28 AM]D and C reports:
'"A few stores sat back, still waiting for 10:30. And when they turned the system on at 10:30, there were no tickets left."'

QB Johnson says he's learning [5:27 AM]D and C reports:
'"I scrambled around too much," Johnson said. "When you're learning an offense, you should really stay in the pocket and get through the reads."'

Feel-good football under the lights [10:25 PM]Shout! reports:
'Monday night’s training camp session – the first evening training camp session in modern Bills history – was a made-for-TV event much like the Tiger Woods/David Duval/Annika Sorenstam/Karre Webb “Battle at Bighorn” golf match on ABC television.'

Bills pull quick turnaround Tuesday morning [10:22 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
"I feel I'm getting better and better at it," Johnson said. "Last night I scrambled around too much, guys weren't open and when you're learning a new offense you should really throw in the pocket and try to go through all your progressions. … come game time, when the scrambles are there and you've got to make plays, then you take them, but it practice you really have got to get through the reads."

Bills show new enthusiasm with changes in camp [10:20 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'The Buffalo Bills started their first day of hard-hitting, aggressive practice on Sunday. The vets are back in camp and the fans are out in full force (5,130 the first day, 6,738 the second day) to get a glimpse of the new team everyone is buzzing about.'

Bills hamstrung by rash of injuries [7:15 PM]AP reports:
'Tuesday morning, 11 players watched practice from the sidelines at St. John Fisher College outside of Rochester. They included cornerback Antoine Winfield, tight end Jay Riemersma and tailback Sammy Morris, all starters who are nursing hamstring pulls -- the most common injury in camp.'

Intensity of Camp Williams undeniable [4:27 PM]The Sporting News reports:
The Bills officially opened training camp this week, and it is already clear this summer is going to be very intense -- and we don't just mean the weather

Williams' personality is far more intense than Levy or Phillips, too, leaving observers to wonder if he's a master motivator or Atilla The Hun.

marvy levy: A coach with a place in history [4:20 PM]The Sporting News reports:
Polian will have the honor of presenting the venerable 76-year-old former coach into Canton. For what he accomplished and for how long he lasted, Levy -- much like Hannibal -- also deserves to go down in history as one of the greatest field generals of all time.

Unhappy "Camp-ers" Shut Out Of Second Night Practice [12:25 PM]iknowrochester.com reports:
Bills fans were turned away at area Wegmans supermarkets this morning after the tickets went quickly. Although several thousand were available, they had to be divided among several Wegmans stores.

Some fans are accusing certain Wegmans stores of handing out tickets early; others say it was a computer glitch. Wegmans is working on a way to rectify the situation.

Gone in 60 minutes [12:12 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
After holding a Monday night practice in front of 4,838 at St. John Fisher's Growney Stadium, the Bills sold out the August 6 night practice in just one hour Tuesday morning.

Lodish, played in record six Super Bowls, retires [12:03 PM]ESPN reports:
Defensive tackle Mike Lodish, who played in an NFL-record six Super Bowls including two with the Denver Broncos and four with the Buffalo Bills, is retiring after 11 years in the NFL.

Holecek headed for San Diego [11:16 AM]Fox Sports reports:
Former Buffalo LB John Holecek, one of the most sought-after free agents, has agreed to a one-year deal with San Diego.

Agent Brian Kelley on Thursday confirmed to FOXSports.com that Holecek, released by the Bills in a cost-cutting move, chose the Chargers over the NJ Jets and Colts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed to be worth an estimated $1.2 million.

Monday night football at St. John Fisher [9:20 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
"Right off the bat, it was an enthusiastic crowd and it was a good change for our team," coach Gregg Williams said following. "The crowd pumped us up in the first part of practice when things are a little bit sore, a little bit tight..."

Gregg Williams night comments (7/30) [9:17 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
"The D line was really coming off tonight that's where we saw the speed when I see that speed coming off the pass rush from a defensive perspective and I like what I saw and I also liked how they practiced against each other interior wise material wise they could of really rocked and rolled back into Rob's feet tonight or Alex's feet and they didn't do that so they are learning how to practice against each other."

Bills fans gorge to show loyalty, but at what cost? [9:08 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'In what surely will be recorded as one of local radio's oddest contests, the WEDG (103.3 The Edge) radio duo of Shredd and Ragan have kicked off "Who's the Biggest Bills Fan?" competition, in which five locals go head to head - or in this case belly to belly - to see who can gain the most weight in a 30-day period, which started last Thursday.'